Hebrews Review Concluded

Then in Hebrews we learn that if we are truly saved by faith that we will never be lost again.  We are reborn by faith in Christ.  I believe that just as we are physically born once, we are spiritually reborn once.  Once we are reborn into the kingdom of God we are secured by the Holy Spirit.  We then have a responsibility to seek God's will in all that we do, but if we fail, we are not then unborn.  We are still God's children, and as the book of Hebrews tells us, when we stray away from God's will, He will chastise us.  Some may need more chastisement than others, but I believe that as followers of Christ, and therefore children of the heavenly Father, we all at some time or the other need chastisement from God.  We are also told that the great men of the Old Testament were great because of their faith and not because of their own innate goodness.  They had faith in God and the coming Messiah.  They were never saved by works or living up to the law, but by faith alone.  Also, we are warned to beware of strange doctrines.   This means we must know what God's word really teaches.  Being somewhat familiar is not enough.  Then, we are instructed to go into the world with God's message.  We are saved to serve and not to just sit back idly until Christ returns.  There is a lost world in need of salvation that we are commissioned to reach with the gospel.  Next, we are also instructed to listen to religious leaders, those put in place over us by God.  We know that God calls some to be preachers and teachers, and they are called for the benefit of all  Christians. Finally, we are instructed to live our lives in praise to God.  I know that I do not do this often enough.  We serve a loving God Who has redeemed us from the penalty of sin if we accept that redemption.  We should daily give Him praise.  Next, we will look at the shortest book of the Bible, Obadiah.

Hebrews Review Continued

The next thing that we learn from the book of Hebrews is that in Christ we have a greater high priest than we did under the old sacrificial system under the law of God.  The high priests, before Christ came as our eternal High Priest, were limited in what they could do.  They could only offer limited atonement for the sins of the people through the sacrifice of animals.  They really did not have unlimited access to God.  The old sacrificial system was like the law given to Moses.  They were signs of obedience to God, but neither could bring salvation because of the sins of the people.  Christ was and is the only acceptable sacrifice for sins, and as such, He becomes our heavenly High Priest.  We not only do not need to go to God through anyone else, but I would say that we cannot go to God through anyone else.  We may have people praying for us, which is good, but ultimately, we must go to God through a personal relationship with Christ.  I stated that Christ is our eternal High Priest, because He was always the only way to salvation.  The plan of salvation was completed even before the giving of the law.  Salvation through Christ was never an alternate plan.  It is the plan that was put in place from the beginning.  Since God gave people free will, He always knew their potential to fail to follow Him.  Yet, God loved us enough to create us with a free will.  God wants us to serve Him, not because we have no choice in the matter, but because we do.  This is why in the book of Hebrews it is called so great a salvation.  The only way for salvation to have any meaning is if every person has a choice about accepting it through faith.  If some people are predestined to salvation and others predestined to everlasting punishment, then Christ's death would have been unnecessary.

Hebrews Review

Review

I will attempt to summarize some of the things that we have learned from the book of Hebrews.  First, we know that there was a time when God spoke in many different ways to His people, but He finally spoke through the life of Christ, Who fulfilled all the law of God.  We will never have another thing said by God about how we may be restored to Him.  Christ is the final word of salvation.  This does not mean that God will not still speak to us, but He will no longer speak about another way to salvation.  Next, we are called on to be honest in our relationship to God.  It is not enough to just say the words, but we must honestly accept the truth of what God teaches us.  Going through the motions is not enough.  If we accept the truth of God as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who provides a way for salvation for all who accept Christ as Savior and Lord, then we need to take our relationship to Him seriously.  We are also told of Christ's superiority to the angels.  Angels do not have the power to deliver us from death.  Christ alone was given this power, and this power was given to Him as a seed of Abraham.  Christ did not deliver us by His position as God, but He delivered us by His position as a man.  Christ's power on earth came from being obedient to the will of His heavenly Father.  That is the same place that our power comes from today.  We may sometimes wish that God would send an angel to help us in a particular situation, and it is possible that He may and we never know it, but He sent Someone greater than an angel.  God our Father, if we are followers of Christ, sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us.  As Christians, we are never without the power of God in our lives unless we choose to be.

Hebrew 12:25

Hebrews 12:25 says, See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:  This is a call, or a warning, to not neglect the call of Christ.  Those who had spoken for God before Christ came were but people of the earth, but when Christ came, He came down from heaven.  Matthew Henry says that Christ by His word shook not only the world, but the heavens as well.  We should never underestimate the power of the word of God.  We are told that in Jesus Christ that the Word became flesh.  Before Christ came, God shook the nations to make a land for His people.  Now, God has shaken the heavens to make an everlasting home for His people, those who have put their faith in Christ.  We cannot ignore God's calling us to faith in Christ and have any hope of salvation.  Verse twenty-six adds, Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.  This is what I was discussing above.  The life of Christ shook the very foundation of the universe.  There is no place that we can go that God is not already there, and there is no other way to salvation except through the blood of Christ.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.  The old sacrificial system could be shaken, but salvation through Christ and the rewards that it brings never will be shaken.  Verse twenty-eight states, Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  We are reminded that since we are receiving an everlasting, unmovable kingdom that we are to serve God acceptably.  This means that we are to acknowledge God's grace in saving us, and this will lead us to serving Him with reverence and Godly fear.  This does not mean that we are always to be afraid that God is going to strike us down, but that we should live in awe of both God's power and His grace.  Verse twenty-nine adds For our God is a consuming fire.  God does indeed have the ability to burn everything up.  Fortunately, for us who are followers of Christ, all God burns up are the everlasting consequences of our sins.

Hebrews 13:9

Hebrews 13:9 says, Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.  This is already a warning about false doctrines.  It did not take years for false doctrines to appear about the teachings of Christ, but they appeared almost immediately.    Our relationship with God is established not by the law, or the old sacrificial system, but by our relationship with Jesus Christ.  There were, are, and always will be those who attempt to add to or take away from the gospel.  There are people today who say that they are Christians but do not consider themselves to be a born-again Christian, for example.  God's word is very clear on this concept, though.  If we are to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, then we must be born again through faith in Christ.  There are those who preach earthly success as a sign of faith, but we are told to not lay up treasures in this world, but to expect persecution and suffering when we stand for Christ.  Verse ten adds, We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.  Matthew Henry says that early Christians who worshipped outside the tabernacle were accused of not having an altar to worship or sacrifice at, but we know that Christ is our altar.  We do not have to come to a particular place at a particular time to worship God.  Verse eleven continues, For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.  This reminds us that the blood of the sacrificial animal was brought into the sanctuary by the high priest, but the body was burned, or destroyed, outside the tabernacle.  The blood offered on the altar in the tabernacle was seen as having the power to represent the forgiveness of the people.  When Christ came, He offered His blood, once and for all time, for the atonement of the sins of all who believe in Him.  This was not done on a altar in the tabernacle, but on a cross on a hill outside the city.  Verse twelve states, Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.  As just discussed, Jesus did not die within the tabernacle, or established religious practices, but He died to fulfill the need for all these practices.  Verse thirteen adds, Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.  I believe that this is a call for us to go into the world with the message of Christ.  When we go, we may not be well received, or even bear reproach from those we go to, but so did Christ.  Verse fourteen continues, For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.  This world, wherever we live in it, will never be our permanent city, or home.  We are simply passing through on our way to that heavenly city, or home, to come.  Yet, we often put more time and effort into the things of this world than we we into the things related to our heavenly home.  Verse fifteen says, By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.  Unlike the old sacrifices, which were meant to bring forgiveness from God, we are to offer a sacrifice of praise to God for the everlasting forgiveness of God through faith in Christ.  Still, instead of speaking words of praise to God, we often offer words of complaint because everything is not going as we want it to.  Verse sixteen adds, But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.  We are told to do good and to communicate the word of God.  In order to truly do good and communicate the word of God, we must follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seventeen continues, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.  I believe this refers to religious leaders, those placed over the church by the call of God.  The rulers of the world often do not even acknowledge the existence of our souls, much less watch out for them.  Those religious leaders, those placed in power over us, have a responsibility to do what is best for us in the eyes of God.  When they do, they will experience joy and we will be lifted up in our relationship to God.

Hebrews 13:1

Hebrews 13:1 says, Let brotherly love continue.  The writer now begins to give us several practical applications of our faith as followers of Christ.  The first is to let brotherly love continue.  Everyone who is truly a follower of Christ is a brother or sister of everyone else who is truly a follower of Christ.  There are no divisions by race, nationality, or any other human qualifier.  I am not sure that we always live as though we believe this.  If I cannot love all my brothers and sisters in Christ, then how can I love the lost people of the world, and we are called to love them as well.  Verse two adds, Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  This tells us two things.  The first is that we are to be kind to and help strangers, which is what is meant by entertain strangers.  The second is that these strangers might be angels that we are helping.  We may never know if we have done this.  Verse three continues, Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.  This is a call once more to have compassion for those who are suffering for their faith in Christ, no matter who they are or where they are.  We are to remember them as if we ourselves were suffering the same fate.  We need to ask ourselves how long it has been since we have truly been burdened by compassion for others.  Often, if the suffering does not affect our daily lives, we simply ignore it.  Verse four states, Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.  There is a lot written about marriage today, but a true marriage is not just between two people but is between two people and God.  If God is not the center of the marriage, then it becomes just a legal arrangement.  Verse five adds, Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  This tells us that even in our conversation we are not to covet what someone else has materially.  We sometimes attempt to cover our covetousness by saying that we wish we had something that someone else has and they had something better.  We are advised to be content with what we have, because we as followers of Christ have Christ and all His promises to us forever.  Verse six continues, So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.  Do we boldly say this, or do we keep quiet about our relationship with Christ when out in the public for fear of what people may say about or do to us?  We are to boldly proclaim Christ, no matter what.  Verse seven says, Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.  We are told to follow those who have rule over us, but I believe in this case it refers to pastors and teachers.  We are to follow their teaching because they have spoken to us the word of God.  We do not have to go to God through them, but we are to learn from their faithfully presenting the word of God.  Their lives should reflect their faith, as should ours.  Verse eight adds, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.  Who Christ was is Who Christ is.  He is the Savior and Lord of all who believe in Him for all time.  Jesus Christ is the Messiah looked ahead to in the Old Testament and the Messiah looked back to in the New Testament and since.  There never was and never will be a time when Jesus Christ is not the Redeemer of all who will come to Him by faith.

Hebrews 12:18

Hebrews 12:18 says, For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,  This is a further comparison between the law and grace.  When the law of God was given to Moses, it was on a mountain that could be touched, but people had limited access to that mountain.  Moses went alone to receive the law.  Verse nineteen adds, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:  There was a certain fear of the voice of God.  Since they were unable to live up to God's law, they feared His voice.  Verse twenty continues, (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:  The reason they feared God was because they could not endure what was commanded.  If we had to justify ourselves through the law of God, we would be just as fearful.  The limited access was so great that if an animal touched the mountain, it was to be destroyed.  Verse twenty-one declares, And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)  Moses himself quaked at being in the presence of God.  Verse twenty-two adds, But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,  There is good news for those of us who are under the new covenant of God.  We have come to mount Sion, or Zion, and into new Jerusalem, the heavenly city that cannot be touched by hands.  There is no one one place that we must go to in order to worship God.  Verse twenty-three continues, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,  We, as followers of Christ, are part of the assembly and church of the firstborn.  We do not become a part of this assembly from our birth into a particular family, but by a rebirth into the family of God through faith in Christ.  Verse twenty-four concludes, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.  We not only come to a new place to worship God, but we come through a new way, and that is the blood of Christ.  Christ is the only sacrifice that can restore us to a right relationship with God.